Male and female tube connectors such as luer connectors are commonly used in blood and medical solution handling, as well as in many other uses. Specifically, such connectors are commonly used in commercially available hemodialysis sets and other blood handling sets as access ports for medicament infusion or sampling.
Typically, such connectors respectively comprise a tapered socket and a tapered projection that together form a conical surface seal and connection.
Caps are commonly used for female luer connectors, which caps may define a threaded skirt for engaging a pair of "ears" projecting outwardly from the female connector, while a tapered, projecting portion of the cap extends into the conical bore of the luer connector. By the ISO standards, which are industry standards that govern the design of commercial medical products, the tapered projection of said caps only extends for a total length of about 7.5 mm., and about 2.1 mm. beyond the skirt of the cap. The ISO dimensions of male and female luer engagement leave a portion of the tapered socket of the female tube connector open, thus defining a free space in the female connector while the cap is sealing the end of the female connector.
Such female connectors are placed on tube ends, such as the ends of branching lines extending outwardly from various blood sets including hemodialysis sets. Such branching lines may be used to connect to a source of parenteral solution, a source of heparin solution, or a pressure monitor, for example. Other access ports comprise the well-known elastomeric injection sites which are accessed with a needle.
Prior to initial removal of the cap, the female connector is sterile, being in its as-manufactured condition. However, after removal of the cap and use of the connector, the cap can be replaced again, but the female connector, and the lumen of the connected tubing, are no longer sterile. Despite this fact, at the present time no attempts are generally made in clinical use to disinfect the female connectors. It is thought to be impractical to sterilize the internal surfaces of the female connector sockets, and it is even more difficult to sterilize adjacent lengths of the tube interiors which connect with the female connectors.
Another type of tube connection is provided by needle injection sites. The outer surfaces of such injection sites are typically disinfected prior to every use. However, such disinfection is relatively ineffective because the antiseptic is swabbed on only a few seconds prior to puncture with a needle.
Thus there is a need for a tube connector which can be more reliably sterilized between uses.
By this invention, a closure cap for a female tube connector type of access port is provided in which internal sterilization or other antimicrobial effect can take place in a more reliable, easy manner. By this invention, a female tube connector, and a length of the tubing adjacent thereto, can be effectively resterilized between uses, to provide further improvement in the aseptic practice of blood handling, parenteral solution administration, or the like.